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The Son of God, on the greatest day in human history, having just risen from the dead, chose to invest four hours in just two disciples on the point of despair.

If seminary has taught me anything, it’s that you can’t do anything without God and this retreat reinforced that. As soon as we entered silence, I knew something was different; the silence wasn’t empty. The silence was a perfect medium for God to speak and He did so in a multitude of unexpected ways.

“The voice is the most personal instrument there is,” a professor once told me. Before entering seminary, I was pursuing a Master’s degree in voice performance. I was preparing to be an opera singer and a teacher of voice at a university. The voice had a central importance in my life. Since I left vocal performance to follow God’s call to the seminary, the voice has now gained a spiritual importance.

The love, devotion, and intercession of the divine is so incredible at this seminary. It inspires me in faith to form relationships with beings that I cannot see such as my Guardian Angel. Angels have a unique ability to help us receive the grace of Christ. The summit of joy we obtain from this beautiful alliance is simply that we never have to worry about being alone. Remember that your Guardian Angel walks with you and guides you.

Two years ago, when I signed up to go on the seminary's mission trip to Jamaica over spring break, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The trip was filled with joy. These men and women may carry heavy crosses, but the reverence they had in the presence of our Lord and the enthusiasm with which they prayed was absolutely inspiring. Their hearts were on fire with the love of Christ.

Storytelling is all about our human capacity to enter into communion with others. Storytelling works because we are able to sympathize with characters—to feel what other people feel even without meeting them. The skill of storytelling is vital for a priest. Telling stories is part of everyday conversation, but also, in a certain sense, the whole job of the priest is to make visible present truths and realities that are not immediately visible, drawing people in to a place where they can encounter Christ.

This meal we share on Thanksgiving is not too different from the meal Christ shared with his disciples. But this meal was more than ancient Israeli cuisine. Jesus said, “Take, eat; this is my body. ”Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you;  for this is my blood.” In these enduring words, Christ calls our attention to his Crucifixion. And yet, he gives thanks! How can he be grateful knowing he is in the face of unimaginable suffering?

Wednesday is my favorite day of the week. By all accounts it has no right to be, but late in the evening on Wednesday, deep in the suburbs of Bethesda, I get the opportunity to spend a little over an hour teaching sixth graders at Little Flower Parish about the Catholic faith. And in this unassuming assignment, God revealed to me a real, unexpected joy.

This summer I was preparing to enter medical school at Georgetown University when I began to seriously consider entering seminary. It was precisely this human love that prompted it all. True love multiplies. The love of my married friends begets a certain spiritual generativity--it opened my heart to a spiritual reality. Their love and their marriage is, in a very real sense, for the whole world.

The Nats were the oldest team in baseball, but given the fun they had down the stretch, they could have been mistaken for the youngest. The best priests are men who never "grow up.” They remain children at play, living only and always in their identity as beloved sons--completely dependent on a good Father.

Last year I was working as a journalist in New York City. One look at my schedule showed you work came before anything else. I squeezed my faith and friends in as much as I could; time for prayer was sandwiched between meeting a deadline and the subway ride home. Nine weeks in, I haven’t stopped marveling at life in the seminary.

Karol Wojtyla provokes wonder about a life with God. It is a wonder characterized by a desire to know, but it is more than mere curiosity and admiration. Curiosity is only asking questions. Wonder is a desire to experience. With admiration, there is no desire to do more than look on from a distance. But wonder draws us in.

We cannot be unaffected by the persons we love. Like a Newton’s cradle of metal balls, when they are struck by something we are struck by the same blow. This year we felt the joy of the saints on two occasions because we put ourselves right up against them. This is the powerful impact of loving.

“If I have good grounds for believing, to believe is a duty; God will take care of His own work. I shall not be deserted in my utmost need. Faith ever begins with a venture and is rewarded with sight.” -John Henry Newman

I will forever look forward to the day when He sends me back to where the stars comfort me, and the fields are made of gold, but as long as God wants me in D.C., I know there will be joy here too.

Mary’s role in the seminary is a prominent one. We celebrate her in a special way each Saturday, beginning the weekend by praying the Rosary as a community, but our devotion to her goes far beyond a Saturday morning ritual.

The Seminary community is made of seminarians, faculty, and staff. Here is an inside look at the seminary (and the seminarians) from the perspective of St. John Paul II Seminary staff.

Pope Pope Francis released this letter to priests on the 160th anniversary of the death of St. John Vianney, patron saint of priests.

My friends and I help each other each year by using New Year's Resolutions. For the last five years we have written down our goals and shared them with each other on January 1. My friends and I have shared serious goals, including proposing to girlfriends, drinking more responsibly, and setting aside time to call mom. The seminary...

On a sunny and clear Saturday morning, two days before the Feast of the Annunciation, the houses of Seminary and Religious Formation in the area surrounding the Catholic University of America (nicknamed the “little Vatican”) came together to participate in a soccer tournament named in the honor of Our Blessed Mother: the Copa Inmaculada.